


Her Name

by anavoli



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Character Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 06:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4949917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anavoli/pseuds/anavoli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been years since Eren rescued Mikasa's lonely spirit and made her his shinki. But will he be able to make a choice when his life, and hers, hang in the balance? (Noragami AU in which Eren is a god and Mikasa his shinki)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her Name

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Eremika AU Week Day 2 and 3

It was so dark.

And so very, very cold. She didn’t know where she was, who she was, and everywhere around her the voices whispered.

Come with us, they said. Join us.

But just as she started to turn, a voice cut through the blackness.

“You, with nowhere to go and nowhere to return, I grant you a place to belong.”

The air turned white, voices fading into a steady ringing with nothing but the warm voice of….someone echoing in the silence.

“My name is Eren. Bearing a posthumus name, you shall remain here.”

She gasped, feeling a strange pull on her body.

“With this name, I make thee my servant. With this name and its alternate, I use my life to make thee a Regalia! Thou art Kasa! As a regalia, Ri. Come, Riiki!”

-x-x-x-

Mikasa opened her eyes. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, but there was a chill in the air.

“Looks like Fall is finally here.”

She stretched, walking out of the shrine to brush away any stray leaves. Suddenly, within the shrine, she heard a thump.

Rolling her eyes and chuckling to herself, Mikasa found Eren laying on the wood floor, still fast asleep.

“Some god,” she whispered. She knelt next to him and reached out a hand to brush away strands of hair.

Just as her fingers brushed his skin, Eren opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist. “Morning Kasa,” he mumbled sleepily.

When he finally rolled out of bed, Mikasa was already outside, spreading cornmeal on the ground for the birds. She felt his presence behind her, but it wasn’t until he draped a red scarf around her neck that she turned.

“Thought you might be getting cold,” Eren smiled.

“Thank you.” Mikasa fingered the edges of the warm scarf. It brought back memories of the day he had made her his shinki, and every day up to this moment.

“So!” Eren stretched. “What’s on the agenda today?”

“I don’t know,” Mikasa shrugged. “You’re the god.”

“But you’re my dutiful shinki!” Mikasa gave him a look. “Kidding, kidding. Sorry for being a lazy ass. I was thinking we should do some scouting on the east side of the city.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mikasa replied.

Eren looked out, expression darkening. “I’ve heard some rumors about Ayakashi starting to cluster around that area.”

“Could be the change in weather. It’s foggy, people aren’t as upbeat on days like this.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

She glanced at him then, that contemplative look he sometimes had. “Eren?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you crying?”

“I am?” He touched his face, looking surprised to see that it was wet. “Oh, must be the weather. I love fall so much it makes me cry.”

She laughed. “Come inside, I’ll make some tea.”

They walked back into the shrine, Eren teasing her as he usually did. Back to his normal self. But she knew he wasn’t telling the truth.

-x-x-x-

“There,” Mikasa caught glimpse of an unnatural purple flash past an alleyway.

“Got’cha,” Eren grinned, holding out a hand. “Come, Riiki!”

In a flash, Mikasa had transformed into her regalia form, a gleaming black sword.

“Ready Mikasa?”

Mikasa steeled herself, smiling along with the god. “Of course.”

Eren leapt in front of the ayakashi, holding his ground as it gave a loud roar in response, raising Riiki in front of him as a challenge.

“Now,” Mikasa shouted.

God and shinki leapt forward, slicing left and right until the ayakashi was shrieking with anger and pain.

“You who would desecrate this land of the rising sun! With my advent, I, Eren, lay waste with Riiki and expel thy vast defilement!”

Successfully expelling the ayakashi, the sky seemed to brighten a little.

Eren restored Mikasa to her human form, and pulled her in for a hug. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you’re killing things?”

“What do you want?” Mikasa deadpanned.

He frowned. “Aw, I think you stung me. Might have to go take a bath.”

Mikasa poked him in the side. “You think you’re so cool.”

“Only because I have the best shinki.”

“For the best god, anything.”

-x-x-x-

She knew that few had the sort of relationship that she and Eren did. Love affairs between gods and shinki were not common. There were risks - stronger bonds meant that it was even easier to blight a god. And even harder for the god to let the shinki go.

So yes, they had something special.

Throughout the years, she became more than his shinki. She was his counsel, his support, one who knew him almost as well as he knew himself.

But that year...he seemed to draw into himself. There were dark circles under his eyes, though he was constantly at her side, he was never quite...there.

“Ayakashi in the city,” Eren reported urgently, grabbing his jacket. “Mikasa, let’s go.”

They rushed down to the city, following the sounds of destruction and distress.

“It’s a bad one,” Mikasa noted.

“Nothing we can’t handle. Come, Riiki!”

He was right, the ayakashi was manageable, but it didn’t go down without a fight. The battle went on for a good fifteen minutes before the ayakashi finally went down. By the end, Eren was breathing heavily, leaning on a lamppost for support.

“Return, Mikasa.”

Mikasa eyed Eren, concerned. “Eren, are you alright?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie Mikasa, I know there’s a little pain on your front shoulder. Just let me take a look.”

She sighed, but pushed up her sleeve for him to analyze.

He paused, frowning. “Is it here? Right over your name?”

“Yes.”

“Weird.”

He touched it then, as gently as possible, but Mikasa cried out in pain.

“I’m sorry!” he gasped, pulling back.

“No, no, it’s fine.” Mikasa took a deep breath. “I’m sure...it’s nothing.”

And then the world went dark.

-x-x-x-

When she opened her eyes, the sun was setting. Faint light flickered throughout the room, but it was silent.

She rubbed her forehead, moving to sit up. How could she have passed out?

A twinge of pain traveled down her arm as she leaned on it, causing her to drop back down on the cot. Hissing, she rolled up her sleeve to see what could be bothering her.

Her name, ‘笠’ was cut in half.

Gasping, she stumbled to her feet, running out and towards Eren’s room.

“You have to let her go, Eren.”

The voice made her pause. She knew the voice. Armin - a neighboring god of education. She hovered near the door and listened to what they were saying.

“I can’t, Armin!” Eren exploded. “I love her.”

“See, I told you it was a bad idea from the beginning,” Armin chided. “There’s a reason why few gods have relationships with their shinki.”

“We’ve been together for decades, Armin,” Eren shot back, beginning to pace. “I never thought...how could this have happened?”

Armin lowered his voice. “Have you heard the rumors? Do you know why there have been so many ayakashi clusters lately?”

“Of course, but-”

“Eren, someone is out to tear shinki away from their masters. That must have happened to Mikasa somehow.”

“How are they doing that? How could that have happened to her without my knowing?”

“Because, Eren...they’re using the god’s greatest secret.”

A sharp pain jolted through Mikasa’s body, and as she clutched her shoulder, images flashed before her eyes. Bloodstained floors, metal ropes. Strands of hair and a sharp distinct scream. They wouldn’t stop coming.

Mikasa fell to the ground with a thump, bringing Eren and Armin’s attention to the shinki outside.

“Mikasa!” Eren gasped. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s her name, Eren,” Armin said. “Can’t you see? If this goes on for too long, you’ll be corrupted too. And then there won’t be anything I can do to help you.”

“No!” Eren shouted. “I won’t do it!”

“If you don’t release her, you’ll have to kill her! There is no way to undo it.”

Through the onslaught, Mikasa found some strength to cry out, “Eren! Don’t...don’t do anything that will hurt you.”

Eren cradled her head, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Losing you would hurt more than anything else in the world.”

“Let go.” Mikasa finally understood what was happening, and for a moment there was pure clarity. “You have to let me go.”

“Listen to her, Eren!” Armin shouted.

“I’m sorry,” Mikasa gasped, as a wing ripped up from her shoulder. “Ah!”

“Mikasa!” Eren leapt forward to help, but Armin wrenched him back.

“Are you crazy? This is irreversible blight, Eren. Get away from her!”

“No!”

“Eren!” Mikasa cried. She could feel the sickness spreading, in her lungs, over her limbs.

“You have to do it, Eren! Release her!”

Eren stared as Mikasa. His shinki, his love. He watched her writhe in pain, with Armin refusing to let him go forward to help.

“I…” He dug his nails into his palms. “Riiki...I release you.”

Mikasa felt the name explode, felt the pain slowly start to ebb away. Along with it went her vision.

“Eren…I love you,” she breathed.

“I’m sorry Mikasa,” Eren choked. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she sighed. “Thank you...for saving me that day.”

“Couldn’t resist,” Eren replied. “You were just too pretty.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Always the flatterer.”

“Only when I want something.”

At that, her body slowly faded, and her name died with it.

_ Goodbye, Mikasa. _


End file.
